A lively crowd enjoys Stone Brewing Company's beer tasting Tuesday night at Super Deli Mart, 35th Avenue and Barton St. Unusual beers are offered at the Mart every day on tap. Pictured right, someone left his "growler" in the car.

Super Deli Mart at 35th and Barton jam-packed with beer tasters

Wine tasting is next on the agenda

By

04/19/2011

The Super Deli Mart at 35th Ave. and Barton St. was packed Tuesday night with beer tasting enthusiasts, a ritual every other Tuesday night there since January. This was the last until October, but many unusual beers on tap will be offered every day during business hours.

Owner Min Chung had his hands full. "Over 100 people came to this tasting so far," he said with about an hour to go. "The majority of my customers are local. I know half of my regulars by name and about 80-percent of my customers are regulars."

Min lives about a mile from his business.

"Every day I serve on tap," he said. "It's a rotating tap handle so every time it's different. This is a special tasting with special breweries. Tonight we have Stone Beer. We had Dogfish Head, Pike, Elysian. I wanted my customers to taste beer off the tap. It is more cost-effective than out of bottles. This (beer tasting) started off in January with 35 people. It's overwhelming sometimes, but it's fun."

Gregory Cody, a regular, lives two blocks away. "It's so awesome that Min started doing this," he said. "He's opened my eyes to a lot of beers that I've never tasted before. I follow his tastings on Facebook. I'll swing through for sandwiches, milk.

"But it's really good to always carry your growler with you because you never know what Min will have on the tap," added Cody. "I have five growlers at home. Because of Min, I try to keep one in my car all the time since I may stop on my way home."

A growler is a half-gallon glass jug. $5 for refills. Pints are $3 on tap.

Jeff Porter is a rep with Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, California, the featured beer Tuesday night.

"Min's got something going on here that's a phenomenon right now." said the aptly named Porter. "Min has beer that nobody does get in the area, our special versions of the Double Rye Hop, Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, the Chipotle Smoked Porter, Lukcy Bastard Ale, Highway 78 (Scotch Ale)."

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